Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 102781 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102781 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
I let my eyes drift back to her for another look. She was just so fucking moral and good. It made me want to do immoral things and make her bad later.
I used my napkin to wipe my mouth and then accidentally let it fall to the ground. Bending over to pretend to grab it, I slid my hand up Annalise’s dress under the tablecloth and watched her jump when my thumb stroked over the warm center between her legs. Her reaction was to immediately slam her thighs shut, and I almost lost my balance when she closed my arm between her legs with a yank. I coughed and tugged my hand free, trying hard not to laugh.
Is there some way I could finger her right now and watch her attempt to talk business to douche’s sister at the same time?
She looked down at me with warning in her eyes. “Are you okay, Bennett?”
I righted myself in my chair and dropped my napkin on the table in front of me. “Just a slip of my hand.”
My hand discreetly slipped a few more times before the end of the night—the last time to squeeze her ass while we walked to the restaurant door behind our potential new clients. Their car pulled up just before mine did, so we said goodnight and watched them pull away.
If they’d looked, Lauren and Trent could probably still have seen us in the rearview mirror as I pulled Annalise into my arms.
“You were so bad tonight.” She pressed her palms against my chest.
I brushed my lips with hers. “I can’t help myself. I want to do bad things to you. Come home with me. I missed you in my bed last night.”
Her eyes softened. “I missed you, too.”
I couldn’t remember ever missing anyone, except for Sophie. And that was totally different, because she was really gone. Yet I hadn’t just fed Annalise a line. I’d actually missed her. After one night apart. And as much as the thought freaked me out, the thought of not having her in my bed tonight actually freaked me out a little more. So I ignored the warning bells blaring that I was taking things too far.
The valet pulled up in Annalise’s car.
“I’ll follow you,” I said.
“Actually, could we stay at my place tonight? I ordered a new chair for my living room two months ago, and it’s being delivered tomorrow morning sometime.”
“Yeah. Of course.” I kissed her forehead. “As long as I fall asleep and wake up inside of you, doesn’t matter where we are.”
Chapter 36
* * *
Annalise
“Shit-take.” Madison shook her head.
“Umm… What?”
“Did you not just hear the waiter? He pronounced the shiitake mushroom special as shit-take and asked me how I wanted my baked lobster cooked. Umm…done?”
I chuckled. “Sorry. I guess I zoned out for a few seconds there.”
Madison brought her wine to her lips. “Probably exhaustion from getting laid every night by your new boy-toy.
I sighed. “Can I ask you a hypothetical question?”
“Of course. If it makes you feel better to pretend it’s not about you, go right ahead. Shoot.”
“It does.” I paused and thought about how to word it. “If a woman is involved with a man—one who’s been very upfront from the beginning that he doesn’t want a long-term commitment—would it be insane for said woman to walk away from a good job with a shitload of stock options and money at stake on the off-chance the guy might come around and want something more?”
Madison frowned and set down her wine glass. “Oh, honey. You were only supposed to use him as a rebound.”
I ran my finger through the condensation on the base of my wine glass. “I know. And it should have been the perfect arrangement. I mean, he’s a narcissistic, commitment-phobic, chauvinistic, arrogant ass.”
Madison threw her hands in the air. “Well, of course you fell for him!”
We laughed.
“Seriously though, one of us is going to be reassigned to Texas in a few weeks. Would I be nuts if I looked for another job so the two of us could have a chance?”
“How much money are we talking about here?”
“Well, I have stock options that vest over the next three years. Basically, they give me the opportunity to buy 20,000 shares for a set price of $9. So it depends on what the stock is worth when they vest.”
“What’s it worth now?”
I winced. “$21 a share.”
Madison’s eyes bulged. “That’s what…almost two-hundred and fifty grand profit?”
I nodded and swallowed.
She guzzled the rest of her wine. “You like him that much.”
I nodded some more. “Don’t get me wrong, he’s all those things I originally thought, but there’s so much more underneath. Like, he has this childlike quality to him, but at the same time, he’s so committed and responsible with his godson. Plus, he makes me laugh, even when I’m pissed off at him. And he has a good heart, but he doesn’t want anyone to know. Not to mention—he has the goods and knows how to use them.”